Mediaspace scheduled maintenance: Aug 25, 2026 07:00 - 12:00 AM. During this time, videos will be temporarily unavailable. Check status updates.

Lecture

Individual Abatement

Description

This lecture focuses on the concept of individual abatement, analyzing the optimal level of emissions reduction for a single polluter based on marginal costs and gains. The instructor explains how efficiency is achieved when all emitters have equal marginal abatement costs, leading to a discussion on fairness and efficiency in emission reduction strategies. The lecture further explores the idea of transferring abatement efforts between high and low-cost emitters to minimize total abatement costs. Finally, the European Emission Trading System is presented as a real-world example of how market mechanisms can help achieve cost-effective emission reductions by equalizing marginal abatement costs among emitters.

This video is available exclusively on Mediaspace for a restricted audience. Please log in to MediaSpace to access it if you have the necessary permissions.

Watch on Mediaspace

Official source

Related concepts (17)

Emissions trading

Emissions trading is a market-based approach to controlling pollution by providing economic incentives for reducing the emissions of pollutants. The concept is also known as cap and trade (CAT) or emissions trading scheme (ETS). Carbon emission trading for and other greenhouse gases has been introduced in China, the European Union and other countries as a key tool for climate change mitigation. Other schemes include sulfur dioxide and other pollutants.

Carbon emission trading

Emission trading (ETS) for carbon dioxide (CO2) and other greenhouse gases (GHG) is a form of carbon pricing; also known as cap and trade (CAT) or carbon pricing. It is an approach to limit climate change by creating a market with limited allowances for emissions. This can lower competitiveness of fossil fuels and accelerate investments into low carbon sources of energy such as wind power and photovoltaics. Fossil fuels are the main driver for climate change. They account for 89% of all CO2 emissions and 68% of all GHG emissions.

Efficiency

Efficiency is the often measurable ability to avoid wasting materials, energy, efforts, money, and time while performing a task. In a more general sense, it is the ability to do things well, successfully, and without waste. In more mathematical or scientific terms, it signifies the level of performance that uses the least amount of inputs to achieve the highest amount of output. It often specifically comprises the capability of a specific application of effort to produce a specific outcome with a minimum amount or quantity of waste, expense, or unnecessary effort.

Personal carbon trading

Carbon rationing, as a means of reducing CO2 emissions to contain climate change, could take any of several forms. One of them, personal carbon trading, is the generic term for a number of proposed emissions trading schemes under which emissions credits would be allocated to adult individuals on a (broadly) equal per capita basis, within national carbon budgets. Individuals then surrender these credits when buying fuel or electricity.

Marginal cost

In economics, the marginal cost is the change in the total cost that arises when the quantity produced is incremented, the cost of producing additional quantity. In some contexts, it refers to an increment of one unit of output, and in others it refers to the rate of change of total cost as output is increased by an infinitesimal amount. As Figure 1 shows, the marginal cost is measured in dollars per unit, whereas total cost is in dollars, and the marginal cost is the slope of the total cost, the rate at which it increases with output.

Related lectures (33)

Cost-Efficiency in Environmental Policy

Explores criteria for environmental policy instruments, marginal cost, abatement levels, and cost-efficient mitigation efforts.

Energy Systems Engineering

Introduces advanced energetics and energy systems engineering, emphasizing the industry's role in energy consumption and efficiency improvement.

Sustainable Mobility: Technologies, Energy Policies, and Transition

Explores challenges and successes in green mobility, road transport impact on CO2 emissions, sector distribution of emissions, and strategies for emission reduction.

Energy Systems Optimization

Explores energy systems modeling, optimization, and cost analysis for efficient operations.

Climate Change: Paris Agreement